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After contacting academics, who in turn informed NASA, a modern-day gold rush was under way.

The villagers are now thought to have earned more than £1million in total from selling the pieces, with some reported to have bought cars and houses with the earnings.

Hasan Beldek was among those to go hunting for the pieces of meteorite, which were subsequently found to be 'Howardites', a rare type of space rock.

Incredibly, the 30-year-old found a large 3.3lb piece, described as larger than a fist and bright black, after his mother-in-law nagged him to go searching, Haberturk news website reported.

He said: 'I couldn't bear it any more so I went out and decided to give it a try. I searched the area for three to four hours. Then a bright black stone larger than a man's fist looked right up at me.'

Syrian refugees have also joined the hunt, to help pay for their passage into Western Europe or for a new home in their shattered country.

The Syrians, most of them living in makeshift tents, entertain the dream of making money from the stones, which they have described as a 'gift from God'.

A man poses with a wad of cash earned from the sale of pieces of the meteorite that landed in the village

Abbas Mosa Hemo, from Raqqa, told Turkey's Anadolu Agency that he came with his family to search for the meteorites.

He said: 'We have come to seek the stone God has sent us as a gift.'

He added that they had only been able to find two meteorite fragments so far, despite all their efforts.

Muslum Sefer, another refugee from the northern Syrian town of Kobane, said he came to the region four days ago to find a meteorite.

'I came here with three or four friends of mine. One friend and I found one meteorite each; they offered £200 for them, but we declined, as we learnt that higher prices are offered in Istanbul.'

Sefer said he planned to buy a home with the income from the stones they found.